Join us for church on October 1, 2023

• 9:30am Religious Education

• 11:00am Sunday Service

• 12:00pm Coffee Hour

“Art as a Spiritual Practice”

Art used to be something everyone did, it was a practice that was good for the soul, and was less about making something objectively good, and more about engaging in processes that invited us to the present moment. Today we are going to reclaim that art is for everyone. This highly interactive service invites us to do more than talk about Art and Spiritual Practices, but to actually give them a try. All art projects presented during this service come with a 0% chance of messing up your clothes, so come play with us.

There will be no yoga on the 10th and the 17th of October this month.

I look forward to seeing you again again on the 24th of October!

Tish

This Sunday we are offering a very special service called "Art as a Spiritual Practice" We will be doing more than talking about and thinking about art, we will get a chance to actually do art! The sanctuary has already been rearranged to prepare for this interactive service. Since this is pretty unusual, we want to give you an idea of what to expect.

1. There will be "spectator seats" available if you are uncomfortable participating in the art.

2. Children are expected to either stay with their parents or another trusted adult during the service as usual, and nursery will be available as usual. We'd like you to participate with your kids rather than apart from them.

3. We will be working with crayons and colored pencils, NO paints or permanent markers, as an effort to care for our carpet, our chairs, our tables and our clothes

4. There will be three clearly marked tables for beadwork near the library. If you have a kid who tends to put things in their mouths, please don't sit at the bead tables.

5. During the "making art" part of the service there will be four different options available with the hopes that everyone will find the activity that is right for them. Switching between options is totally acceptable, and there will be more information about the options in Sunday's bulletin. The options are:

-Contemplating Classic Fine Art

-Phone Photography in response to a theme

-Beaded Branches (involving beads, strings and sticks)

-Indra's Net group art project (involving coloring and collaging on circles we will connect)

We hope this information will invite you to be a little more comfortable with stretching your comfort zone this Sunday!

Please email all submissions for the October newsletter by Monday October 2nd to newsletter@hvuuc.org.

Upcoming News and Events

Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.

Join us for church on September 24, 2023

• 9:30 Religious Education

• 11:00 Sunday Service

Join us after the service for coffee hour!

“Tri-Pride After Party”

Come celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with us on this day after Tri-Pride with music, reflections and more! To quote Michel Luong, "Queer joy must be a centerpiece to our resistance."

Our Music Director will be on vacation from Monday 9/25 through Monday 10/2. Please reach out to Rev Tiffany for any music related emergencies during this time at minister@hvuuc.org

Our Office Administrator, Jessica, will be on vacation the week of Sept 25th. She will still be working remotely in a limited capacity but will not be keeping normal office hours. Please keep that in mind when sending requests and communications next week.

Upcoming News and Events

Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.

We have learned of a person who tested positive for COVID after being at the church last Sunday. Folks who were in close contact have been notified. Thank you for remaining vigilant--washing/sanitizing your hands often, covering a cough or sneeze, respecting others' distancing needs, staying home if you feel ill, and letting us know if you test positive. This helps us all stay safe and healthy--and make informed decisions for ourselves and our families.

Join us for church on September 17, 2023

• 9:30 Religious Education

• 11:00 Sunday Service

Join us after the service for coffee hour!

“Speaking Truth to Power”

The Second Sunday in our "Exploring our Sources" series, the second source of Unitarian Universalism is "Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love." Let's explore why prophetic is such a loaded and powerful word and what it means in the context of Unitarian Universalism's mission and message. Also on this Sunday we will recognize Rev. Jeff Briere as our Minister Emeritus.

This can be a bittersweet time of year for so many, but we are taking joy in what UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt reminds us is the time when we “come back to each other in our congregations and communities.”

Whether you are coming back to your community after a long time away or whether you have been there all summer, we are grateful for your shared ministry toward collective liberation and beloved community.

This summer, Side With Love program and field staff created a wealth of events, resources, and opportunities to balance the need to rest and play with the necessity of honing our skills and staying informed and prepared to respond to the ongoing attacks on communities and people beloved of us.

Whether you need a space to grieve and pray, the opportunity to gather with others doing the work, or dedicated time to learn, they have something that will serve you.

Click here to learn about the many opportunities available this Fall to Learn, Gather, and Connect.

Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church’s biggest fund raiser is our service auction. A Service Auction is where congregants offer services to each other. On November 4th we will be auctioning off these items. Anybody can offer a service and on Auction Night that service will go to the highest bidder or bidders.

What services have been offered before?

Do you have a favorite hike you’d like to share with others? Or a special meal you like to make? Handyperson services, gardening, decluttering, or other household services. We have several murder mystery dinners where you play a character in a thrilling play as you run through your meal courses. Pool parties, Superbowl, New Years, St Patrick’s Day, July 4th, or unbirthday parties.

There is much more to come that will be in the News and Announcements. If you have any questions contact Greg Kramer auction@hvuuc.org.

We are collecting magazines, cards and other appropriate materials for Collage making for an upcoming service, from now until September 26th.  The collection box is in the library alcove and is labeled "Collage Contributions"

Upcoming News and Events

Click through for a collection of upcoming news and events at HVUUC. Click the images to be directed to more information.

Yes, COVID is still around. In the interest of full transparency, we share that one of our members who attended the service last Sunday just tested positive. They've already notified everyone they were close to so those folks can be aware and take precautions.

Thank you all for washing/sanitizing your hands often, respecting others' distancing needs, covering your mouth if you cough, and staying home if you're not feeling well. Thank you, too, for letting us know if you discover you have COVID after being at church. These are all ways we live our covenant--and help keep our community safe and healthy.

Join us for church on September 10, 2023

• 9:30 Religious Education

• 11:00 Sunday Service

Join us after the service for coffee hour!

“Water Communion”

Our annual interactive and intergenerational service where we celebrate our interconnectivity. This year we will be especially focused on how we are connected to the bodies of water in East Tennessee. While we will appreciate water brought from any source, this year, local water would be especially appreciated!

COVID Precautions and Exposure at Church

Yes, COVID is still around. In the interest of full transparency, we share that one of our members who attended the service last Sunday just tested positive. They've already notified everyone they were close to so those folks can be aware and take precautions.

Thank you all for washing/sanitizing your hands often, respecting others' distancing needs, covering your mouth if you cough, and staying home if you're not feeling well. Thank you, too, for letting us know if you discover you have COVID after being at church. These are all ways we live our covenant--and help keep our community safe and healthy.

Due to unforseen circumstances we are having to cancel HVUUC's participation in the Umoja parade. Umoja is still happening and we hope many in our community will get a chance to show up and show their support. But we will not be decorating a Unity Car for the parade.

In this covenant group we will be sharing stories about our religious upbringing and where it has led us in the present. This will be different from (but related to) the class Rev. Tiffany offered last year, and will focus more on sharing as a way of getting to know each other better.

The group will meet in person on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month, beginning on October 9, from 6:30-8:30pm. This will be a short-term group of 4-5 sessions. The facilitators will be Wendy Hearl and George Cross. Please contact either Wendy or George, or email owningcg@hvuuc.org, by October 1 to sign up. The group will be limited to 10 members.

BUUK Club will begin its 2023-2024 monthly meetings on Sept 19 from 10:00am - noon on the deck at the church. Our first discussion is Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. For a list of other titles and dates or more information, contact buukclub@hvuuc.org